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6/14/12

Ride In 6/14: Glengarry Glenn Close

The Official Wife went to work early and I decided that rather than share a second pop tart with Ellie the Poodle, I would set off on my morning commute a bit early and maybe take the "long way" (broadly understood). I didn't know which "long way" I would take, but I ended up taking a spectacularly nonsensical one that involved two river crossings and four bridges.

From home, it was down South Carolina to 11th. At the school, there were some Marines on the baseball field practicing their ceremonial rifle manipulations. That's one safe baseball field.

The 11th street local bridge is still incomplete, but it's still completely bikeable. I noticed that they're tearing the deck off the old 11th street highway bridge. Something about mangled, semi-destructed bridges is very affecting. Maybe it's the mangled, semi-destructedness.

Like bad pictures of a boat? You're welcome.

You can lock up your bike and look at a boat.

No one on the 11th street bridge and no one on the sidewalk or road down to the Anacostia Riverwalk, Special Eastern Unit (not the official name). I don't think it's a very popular commuter route, in no small part to the fact that it doesn't really go anywhere except along the river. Also, the Douglass Bridge is terrible and narrow and bike commuting on it is tantamount of riding on a tight rope and I'm almost legitimately afraid of doing it. I rode on the eastern sidewalk and soon found myself behind a man in a US NAVY "Experimental Diving Unit" t-shirt. I just assumed that were I to fall off the bridge, this brave man would experimentally dive after me and I'm sure everything would work out just fine. This total fiction provided me some comfort. It was too narrow to pass, so I rode behind him.

I don't think there's a bike sign that makes me happier than one that gives the directions to the Nationals Bike Valet.

Second from the bottom.

Did you know the baseball stadium is on a street "named" Taxation Without Representation Street, SE? I saw the road sign for the first time today. I think Municipal Bond Boondoggle Way, SE was a close runner-up.

I crossed South Capitol Street and rode down P Street to the Waterfront, along the Interim Provisional Temporary In-Progress Not-Yet-Finished Design Stage Planned Anacostia Riverwalk Trail (Western Conference), up Water Street and then decided to be monumentally silly and ride into Arlington over the 14th Street Bridge, which was quite crowded with bike commuters heading in the other direction.

On the MVT, I saw a guy standing next to the trail with his bike upside. He was spinning the wheel and fondling (don't be gross) his tire. Something was wrong. So, I stopped and inquired. You should always stop. Never assume that a person with a flat tire is fine or that someone has already stopped. At least three other people biked by from the time I saw him to the time I stopped. I asked what was wrong. He had a flat. I told him I had a tube. He declined. I told him I had a pump. He tried to pump the tire, but the air wouldn't stay. He told me that he thinks the tires had worn through. And that he rode a century this past weekend and this was going to be the last ride on these tires and that this was his first commute into Georgetown. I told him I had a patch kit. He declined. He asked me where he should walk. I suggested the 14th Street Bridge and maybe get a bus from downtown. He told me that he would walk over the Memorial Bridge. He said that this would be his last ride without a flat kit. I said bye.

Mount Vernon Trail was only a little crowded. It was more crowded on the Key Bridge. One commute, four bridges, two river crossings, zero reasons for doing it. Totally worth it.

Not much in the way of bicycle traffic in Georgetown, but it picked up a little in Glover Park. I was pleased to read that DDOT is addressing the 37th and Tunlaw street issue, the issue being that the intersection sucks and needs redesigning. The hills seemed less terrible than they used to be, but I'm sure that's just some kind of bizarro nostalgia. Traffic on New Mexico seemed worse than usual. I'm pretty sure that we can put together some kind of class action lawsuit against the Maryland DMV, maybe with a cease and desist component so they stop issuing licenses until they do a better job of ensuring that their standards actually mandate the safe operation of a vehicle. It's incredible.

Pretty good day over all. I wanted to take the CCT, but maybe some other day. Maybe even tomorrow.

3 comments:

"I don't think it's a very popular commuter route, in no small part to the fact that it doesn't really go anywhere except along the river."

If you're going from anywhere in the Southwest quadrant (and that part of Va that used to be the Southwest quadrant) to anyplace from Anacostia to Suitland, it's a very valuable trail, because getting all the way around to 11th street is a pain. (west riverwalk nothwithstanding)

The Douglas Bridge ain't great, but it's no worse than the TR bridge across the Potomac, and gets less traffic (which makes it more acceptable for a routine bike commute). (and it's far better than whatever the bridge is called that takes *East* Capitol over the Anacostia)

@kolohe- good point about VA to Anacostia. Didn't even think about that. The Douglass seemed a little narrower than the TR to me, maybe just because it has a higher slope. Ironically, the only two times I've even been on Douglass, I've had to share the sidewalk with other people. And yes, the E. Capitol bridge is the worst. The Worst!

I've been using the Douglas bridge & the Anacostia traill (Eastern conference) for my commute. I don't see a lot of other commuters (average of 0-3?) The FD bridge is annoying, but lately I like it better than the Pennsylvania Ave bridge (is that the Sousa?) because even though the sidewalk/path is ridiculously narrow and crappy, at least there aren't all those on/off ramps to deal with.